In early 2013, Cyclone Oswald tore through huge swathes of eastern Australia, causing some $2.5 billion (AUD) in damage across Queensland and New South Wales. The torrent deposited more than 1.8 million Mg (2 million ton) of agricultural contaminants, sediments, and nutrients into the Moreton Bay, highlighting a critical need for increased flood protection in […]

After major storms flooded low-lying areas of Pittsburgh repeatedly in 2004, 2009, and 2011, Carnegie Mellon University is now in the final stages of a major stormwater management project that will redirect floodwaters from major storms toward constructive uses for both the city and campus. Since early May, construction crews have been excavating the area […]

RE.bound program develops new resilience bond A team of private sector partners has released the framework for a new insurance-based product intended to generate capital for risk-reduction projects. The RE.bound Program, released Dec. 9, 2015, offers a new financial product called a “resilience bond.” These bonds are designed to help manage the financial risk from […]

On Dec. 8, the Conservation Leadership Council (CLC) released a new study examining the role of green infrastructure. The CLC report, titled The Role of Green Infrastructure — Nature, Economics, and Resilience, asserts that green approaches promote ecosystem services and greater resiliency while providing water quality and quantity treatment at a lower cost than traditional […]

On Nov. 19, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) celebrated the opening of the new Scioto Greenways. The project is a 13-ha (33-ac) parkland with 2.4 km (1.5 mi) of multi-use trails. The project cost $36 million and involved removing the Main Street dam, planting 800 trees, and creating up to 350 jobs. MORPC provided […]

New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is using floating, vegetated wave attenuators in Jamaica Bay. The attenuators are part of a pilot project to study the efficacy of deflecting and reducing wave energy to protect critical salt marsh wetlands. The 2-year pilot program will cost approximately $500,000 and will inform future shoreline protection […]

On Oct. 28, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released Guidance for Considering the Use of Living Shorelines. The agency encourages the use of living shorelines to protect sheltered coasts — those not exposed to open ocean wave energy — from intense storms, erosion, and sea level rise. Living shorelines include a range of shoreline […]

On Aug. 25, New Orleans unveiled a new resilience strategy that calls for, among many actionable steps, the development of a comprehensive stormwater management program. The strategy, Resilient New Orleans, is a joint effort between the city and an organization called 100 Resilient Cities, which was pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation. The strategy proposes 41 […]

Predictions say that climate change will increase the severity and frequency of storms in many parts of North America. Buildings and urban infrastructure must adapt to this new climate reality. The traditional approach has been to build engineered structures such as seawalls, flood channels, and containment ponds. However, a new Nature Conservancy study makes a […]

The National Science Foundation (NSF) through its Sustainability Research Networks Competition (SRN) has granted 5-year, $12 million awards to three separate research networks to conduct integrated research on urban sustainability. One of the awards was given to the Urban Water Innovation Network (UWIN), a consortium of 14 academic institutions and key partners nationwide. UWIN addresses […]

Storm Events

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